Science and Christianity/ Christianity and Paganism03:41 Mar 24 2012
Times Read: 506
There are many things in life that are opposed or seem opposed to each other. Two of these things are science and Christianity, and Christianity and Paganism. Most people would believe that these two topics couldn’t mix or help improve each other; however, hopefully by the end of the paper, you’re mind will be changed.
First, let’s start with science and Christianity. For the most part, people believe these two to be in constant conflict with each other, primarily when it comes to topics of evolution vs. creation.
Evolution started with the findings of Charles Darwin in 1859. He provided a natural and scientific explanation for the reason we find such diversity and complexity of life on Earth. This process had nothing to do with a divine creator, in this model all living species on the Earth had developed from either one or a few simple ancestral species over millions and millions of years. Up until this point, everyone, or almost everyone believed in a God created universe. This idea changed the whole spectrum of taking the Bible literally when it came to the thoughts of creation. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that evolution tells us how things were created in the first place, but it does give us insight into the variety of creatures we find on the planet’s surface today.
Evolution isn’t the only theory that science has come up with to explain the diversity of life. Some other theories are Neo-Darwinian Evolution, Young Earth Creationism, Intelligent Design, materialistic evolution, and theistic evolution. Neo-Darwinian evolution takes the old model of evolution also called Darwinian evolution and combines it with modern genetics like biochemistry and DNA. Biochemistry and DNA fill in the gaps that Darwin couldn’t explain in his first model. So this new, updated model takes the place as the one most commonly known and taught in schools.
Then there’s Young Earth Creationism, a contrasting view to the Darwinian model. These people view a literal interpretation of Genesis chapters one and two. So they believe in an Earth that is 6,000 to 10,000 years old and they don’t like and speak out strongly against macroevolution or large scale evolution. Then there is Intelligent Design which states that nature is way too complex for it to have happened just by chance, so there must be an intelligent designer. They believe that some systems on the small scale, like bacterial flagellum, are irreducibly complex systems that have certain parts to their systems that if one part was missing the whole being would fall apart. However, just because they’re saying that there is an intelligent designer, doesn’t mean that they’re saying, God created everything, they just believe that a higher form created the organisms, be it God or some other deity.
Now, for the two opposite views of this evolution/creation perspective, materialistic evolution and theistic evolution play a role. First there is materialistic evolution. Materialistic evolution is non-religious and assumes that only natural processes that deal with matter and energy exist. Evolution in this sense is unguided, undirected, and isn’t supervised, instead it’s a random process that just happens by chance. People who hold this view say that if evolution was to happen again, that we wouldn’t end up with humans like we did this time. Then, theistic evolution that combines both religious and scientific explanations for the reason life is the way it is here on the planet. Francis Collins the author of the book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, is a theistic evolutionist and this is what he has to say about the melding on both science and Christianity. “This view is entirely compatible with everything that science teaches us about the natural world. It is also entirely compatible with the great monotheistic religions of the world…But this synthesis has provided for legions of scientist-believers a satisfying, consistent enriching perspective that allows both the scientific and spiritual worldviews to coexist happily within us. This perspective makes it possible for the scientist-believer to be intellectually fulfilled and spiritually alive, both worshiping god and using the tools of science to uncover some of the awesome mysteries of his creation” (Collins, pg. 201)
This view of evolution is not widely known. Collins blames this partially on society and the media. People enjoy conflict more than they enjoy peace and harmony, or they enjoy hearing about these conflicts more than non-conflict situations. Harmony is just boring to the listener of the news. In today’s world, materialists are triumphant in finding new explanations for the way that the world works. They declare that a belief in God is outdated or superstitious, and in thus, find reason not to have faith in a higher being. On the faith side of the equation, religious people begin to view science and new technologies created by science as being dangerous or even evil. So they turn their back on science to preserve their faith in God. Both of these sides are dangerous, because without using both science and religion, or in this case Christianity, we can’t get a full view of the world. Collins has this to say about the matter, “Both are unnecessary the God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. He can be worshiped in the cathedral or in the laboratory. His creation is majestic, awesome, intricate, and beautiful—and it cannot be at war with itself. Only we imperfect humans can start such battles. And only we can end them.” So over all, it’s best to use both science and religion to get a better view of the world that we live in. Now what about the other issue raised, about Christianity and Paganism working together.
First off, let’s start with the definition of Paganism. If the Paganism is practiced in today’s age, it’s called Neo-Paganism or new Paganism. Paganism is the only spiritual path that had their name meaning something derogatory. Paganism isn’t worshiping Satan, having orgies, having same sex partners, sacrificing animals or people, or anything of the like. Paganism originally comes from the Latin word for ‘civilian’, ‘rustic’, or ‘nature dweller.’ In today’s terms, ‘redneck’ or ‘country bumpkin’ is pretty much the same meaning; also ‘tree-hugger’ may apply as well. For all Pagans love nature. In history most people didn’t follow a Christian religion, so when the Christians started to convert people in Rome, some of the people kept their old ways. That’s when Paganism started to mean ‘non-Christian’.
For the most part, Paganism is used as a blanket term to describe anyone of spiritual origins who don’t fall into the ‘big’ religions of the world (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc). Most Pagans have a spirituality that involves a reverence for nature and on occasion the Goddess (who comes in three forms like the Christian trinity) and possibly the Horned God.
So if a Pagan believes in or serves multiple gods and/or goddesses, how can it work with Christianity which serves only one God? Well, the bible tells us, “And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make to you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy to thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:1-6). In this God tells his followers to have no other god before him and to worship no other god but him, but no where in there does he say there are no other gods. So the Pagan belief of multiple gods can be true, the difference between the two religions is what god a person chooses to serve. A person who follows God and serves only him, believing that his son Jesus Christ came to Earth in the form of a man and died on the cross for all of our sins, who wants a more freeing path to do energy work and focus a little more on nature can find their path in ChristoPaganism.
The origin of this term is unknown, but the first encounter I had in it was in the book ChristoPaganism by Joyce and River Higginbotham. If a person is a ChristoPagan, they first and foremost follow Jesus and all of his teachings. They serve only God, though they may believe in or study other god/goddesses of the mythos. These people are more of the radical type of people who want to help others be it people, animals, or nature itself.
Along with serving God they may also delve into what people view as Pagan activities, such as communing, divination, energywork, Reiki, astral projection, or many others. The followers of this path also tend to be a little more open-minded about other people’s points of view and what they believe as well. They’ll stand firmly for what they believe, and share their beliefs as well, but they’re not as critical or biased as conservative Christians may be.
In the book, Embracing Jesus and the Goddess, the author talks about how a Christian and a Pagan view can help give a more rewarding spiritual experience. As we all know, humans come in male and female, and men and women are meant to be together to help one another and compliment each other. Christianity is a more masculine religion. Even the main figure-head of Christianity is a male figure, namely Jesus. For many years, all of the pastors and priests of Christianity were men, a very male dominated religion. Paganism is primarily dominated by a female Goddess that embraces love, the earth, the human body, re-visioning tradition, birth symbolized by the womb, and sustenance symbolized by the breast. The Goddess brings these attributes to bear along to put with the ‘gifts’ that Jesus brings. Jesus brings with him peace, forgiveness, salvation, healing wounds, compassion for the small and weak, community, and of revolution.
With Jesus we see a revolutionary, a man who had ideals above and beyond the world that he lived in. He spoke with women like they were equal to him, he preached the word that his Father in heaven wanted him to preach, and he even stood out from the rest of the priests that were in his time, daring to go against them. Jesus also ministered to the poor, needy, helpless, week, abandoned, and widowed. He asks his followers to do the same. He wants us to care for those less fortunate than us, in anyway that we can. Be it a few dollars in a beggar’s cup or the shirt off of a person’s back. Jesus wants us to praise him by helping others rise above what culture has made them.
In turn, the Goddess calls her followers for nature care. She wants the men and women who follow her to go out and care for the earth. Watering flowers, planting new trees, preserving the rainforest and other natural resources that most people use up daily without even thinking, she calls us for creation care. People who follow her path have more of an attunement with nature and in thus feel a need to care for it be it with something simple like recycling, or something complex like saving an arbory from getting demolished for a new mall to be put in.
So by taking both of these paths we find a new form of altruism, one of helping people, like Jesus, and one of helping the earth, like the Goddess. The Bible does talk a little about creation care, but most Christians prefer to overlook these facts, preferring to use the Earth how they want; after all, it’s only temporary. However if you take the path of the ChristoPagan, you’ll be doing the work of God by helping humans and saving the Earth from being a barren or desolate place.
Two subjects that seem like opposites really can work together, if you can get past the normal surface stigma that is created by both the followers of the path and by the society at large. Sometimes, combining opposites makes a path better and much more fulfilling for everyone involved.
Works Cited
Collins, Francis S. The Language of God: a Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. New York: Free, 2006. Print.
"Exodus 20 American King James Version." Online Bible. 2004. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. .
Higginbotham, Joyce, and River Higginbotham. ChristoPaganism: an Inclusive Path. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2009. Print.
McColman, Carl. Embracing Jesus and the Goddess: a Radical Call for Spiritual Sanity. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds, 2001. Print.
McColman, Carl. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha, 2002. Print.
COMMENTS
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skyrah
07:30 Mar 24 2012
well written on a good topic
Xzavier
19:40 Mar 24 2012
Christianity & science aren't opposed to each other and Christianity/Bible doesn't say the Earth is 6,000 years old.
Folks need to stop thinking so small and actually research.
TheDarkDemon
23:51 Mar 24 2012
If you were to read the paper more closely it said that Young Earth Creationism believed the earth to be 6,000 to 10,000 years old by interpreting a few chapters in Genesis that way. They're not saying that's what they believe but what Young Earth Creationism does.
Some things just need to be taken with a grain of salt.
JMHO
~D
Prozehn
23:39 Mar 30 2012
Thanks for the compliment, Skyrah.
Xzavier, it is like TheDarkDemon says. If you read what the paper says, it says that about the Young Earth Creationists, which we visited a museum of theirs while I was taking the Science and Christianity class that I wrote this term paper for.
It was a very interesting museum, even if I don't agree with everything that they have there. They had some rather thought out theology.
And I wasn't saying that science and Christianity are in conflict with each other, the paper was used to prove how the two can work together, even though MOST people believe that they can't. Pay more attention to what you read and you might get some more insight.